Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Throughout the histories of Windows Mobile and Android, many handset developers have talked the talk of supporting these mobile operating systems, dribbling out a couple of handsets per year as they focused on other priorities. But not HTC. The company has created more Windows Mobile and Android handsets than companies many times its size, and in fact developed the very first Android handset. Microsoft cited HTC at Mobile World Congress 2009 for being an exceptional partner, while Google's Nexus One is an...Read More »

Motorola already said that its new CLIQ XT Android phone would be available sometime this month when it let us get our hands on the phone last week, but it unfortunately didn't get very specific about an actual date or a price. If this seemingly authentic slide obtained by TmoToday is any indication, however, it looks like the Blur-skinned handset will hit retail on March 17th (tomorrow), and run $99 on a two-year contract (or $199 for a year). That places it right in line with the current pricing of the original CLIQ, which would seem to...Read More »

Yesterday, the FCC submitted its National Broadband Plan to Congress, essentially requesting that six goals be met over the next decade, including sizzlers like access for "every American" to "robust broadband services,"which apparently equals a minimum of 100 million US homes with "affordable" access to at least 100MBps down / 50Mbps up speeds. Pretty heady stuff, we know. We thought we'd contact a few of your friendly ISPs for comment, and we've got Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon going on record here -- all in all, they're rather predictable 'rah rahs' for the plan, especially considering that whole "affordable"...Read More »

Another day, another experimental CPU cooling method that may or may not come to pass. We've seen "thermal paste" from IBM and polyethylene from MIT, and now researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a method for coaxing water along nanometer-scale grooves carved into silicon. So hydrophilic are the patterns that water will even flow against gravity (and we've got the video to prove it). Not only are the structures so precise and nondestructive that the surface feels smooth to the touch, but they also trap photons, according to The New York Times, "so the grooved...Read More »

Well, the details are extremely thin here folks, but it looks like Samsung's working on a tablet PC -- or 'slate' if you're into the new fangled lingo -- just like pretty much every other manufacturer on the planet. Speaking with APC (the website, not the clothier), Philip Newton, director of Samsung Australia's IT division, said that the company is working on a slate PC for the second half of 2010 that will have "PC-grade processing power and connectivity" -- two things Newton had previously cited as the main things lacking in the iPad. That's really all...Read More »

It's far from the first rock-paper-scissors-playing device we've seen, but this glove made by Steve Hoefer (of Secret Knock door lock fame) may well be the most ingenious. You see, not only will it let you play a game of rock-paper-scissors by yourself (and who hasn't wanted to do that?), but it will actually learn to identify the weaknesses in your game and eventually become an unstoppable rock-paper-scissors-playing machine (or at least as unstoppable as you can be at rock-paper-scissors). Head on past the break to check out the glove in action, and hit up...Read More »

Given the legally-disputed origins of the JooJoo and the current shipping delays, you'd think Fusion Garage would scrupulously maintain a squeaky-clean image with its customers as it leads up to launch, but it looks like it wasn't quite prepared to handle refunds in a sensible way -- we just confirmed that the company asked a customer for his bank account information in order to deposit a refund directly after running into some troubles with PayPal. Here's the relevant exchange: "Support Joojoo" wrote: Dear Rony, We have checked this at our end and there seems to be...Read More »

  The days of owing friends or colleagues your share of restaurant bills or cinema tickets could be over - if they all have iPhones that is.   PayPal's latest version of its free iPhone app utilises Bump technology which previously allowed users to swap contact details and photos.   Now with PayPal login or a password and your mobile number you can cosy up to another iPhone and transfer cash instantly.   ------------------------------------------------ Related articles: - 60 best iPhone apps of 2010 - 50 apps to change your life - 20 most expensive iPhone apps - 20 controversial iPhone apps - T3's top 10...Read More »

It's still mildly hard to believe that the Sony VAIO M is for real, given its lack of VAIO's iconic chiclet keys plus the pretty convincing VAIO W fake that we've stumbled upon. Nevertheless, kudos to Sony for reaching out to a more affordable market with its new 3.1-pound netbook. The specs are the identical with the ones we saw yesterday and earlier this month, but hey, there's no harm in having another party to welcome this fella, right? You can grab one now -- in black or white -- for £300 ($456) in the...Read More »

We remember hearing something in the 1990s about SDI (or "Star Wars") actually being a tool to fight UFOs, and that places like Area 51 contained vast underground bases positively teeming with ETs. We didn't think much of it then, and neither do we now -- although this request for information posted over on the FBO website has given us pause. The query is officially for info regarding "robotic underground munition technology," meaning that Defense Threat Reduction Agency would really, really like to get its hands on an autonomous bunker-busting robot capable of being dropped on a target...Read More »